Jake Messenger
A year ago I had a little rant about the modern company Polaroid, their disrespect for their history, their disrespect for those making new film, and their appointment of Lady Ga Ga as a creative director.
Well, at CES in Las Vegas this year, Polaroid and Ga Ga announced the first results of their collaboration: the Grey Label range of products. There's the GL10, a digital printer (an updated version of the Pogo); the GL30, an "Instant Digital Camera" (much like the Pogo Instant Digital Camera), and something truly new: the GL20 Camera Glasses:
• Merges Fashion With Photography: Never before has the world seen fashion, photography and technology come together in one, singular product.
• Tells Your Story to the World: Users can instantly capture or upload photos with the built-in camera and then display the images on the glasses' LCD screens for others to see.
• Expresses True Artistry and Originality: Only Lady Gaga could create a hybrid that's part fashion statement, part revolutionary technology and part tool for self-expression.
I think I need a pair of those.
Apart from the printer, these products "will be available later this year, at a price to be announced."
Paul Giambarba, the design genius behind the branding of the classic Polaroid company has a thing or two to say about the way the company announced these devices over at his blog. (By the way, he has a book out about his work at Polaroid - you should buy it!)
Mike Zawadzki has a thing or two to say about the products themselves over at Unique Photo.
I think they cover most of my misgivings about the endeavour. But what I also feel strongly is that the spirit of the original Polaroid company under Edwin Land was that of powerful innovation - everything was striving forward to create something new. I've linked to this document by one of the SX-70 engineers before, but it deserves repeat viewing: Polaroid was a company driven by vision and a visionary man; his teams were inspired to go further than had been gone before because he instilled the belief that such innovation was possible.
Here's an interview with Francis Ford Coppola, and here's the money quote:
"If you don’t take a risk then how are you going to make something really beautiful, that hasn’t been seen before?"
Apart from the glasses, Polaroid seem to be playing it pretty safe with updated products. The fact that they recently brought out a "new" instant film camera in the shape of a re-badged Fuji Instax, shows what level of innovation and risk they are invested in. Meanwhile, The Impossible Project are creating new instant film from nothing for the niche market of instant photographers who care about working with something unique, not just re-warmed. And are proving successful. There's risk and innovation for you.
SX-70 film pack (designed by Paul Giambarba) taken on Impossible Project PX70 film.
